Guest Post: 7 Reasons To Celebrate The Diamond Jubilee

1. Time Off Work. The first reason to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee for many people will be the fact that we won’t have to work between the dates Saturday 2nd June to Tuesday 5th June (inclusive). This upcoming period is often excitedly referred to as a four-day holiday although to be fair two of the days are Saturday and Sunday anyway and we don’t call weekends two-day holidays do we? Still, for everyone, apart from people such as self-employed workers, police staff and BBC royal correspondents, it’s a good chance to forget about the stresses of work.

2. Diamond Jubilees Happen But Once In A Lifetime. Few of us, if any, are likely to see another Diamond Jubilee celebration in our lifetimes. The earliest possible date that Prince Charles could celebrate his Diamond Jubilee in is the year 2072 by which time he would be 123. We might not get a chance to celebrate another Diamond Jubilee so let’s enjoy this one!

3. The British Monarch Is Unique. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee provides a great opportunity to celebrate how unique British culture is. For instance, how many other Queens of the world can you name (bear in mind that American hip-hop star Queen Latifah isn’t a real queen)?*

4. Rock Stars Playing In Dangerous Locations. What better way is there to mark another royal milestone than by having a rock star perform a song in a dangerous location? At the Queen’s 2002 Golden Jubilee celebrations, Queen guitarist Brian May re-interpreted God Save The Queen on the rooftop of Buckingham Palace. This has heightened anticipation about which rock star will perform at high-altitude during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Perhaps royal favourite Elton John will haul his piano on to the Buck Palace rooftop to hammer out a specially-composed song.

5. It’s A Good Chance To See The Queen In England. It’s great to see the Queen on her globe-trotting travels but the Diamond Jubilee means that, for the duration of her tour of Britain, we will get her all to ourselves.

6. The Duke Of Edinburgh. The Diamond Jubilee is also a fine opportunity to acknowledge the Duke of Edinburgh’s sterling service during the Queen’s reign. The monarch’s consort has often tried to be “seen but not heard” but, thankfully, Prince Phillip has never been shy of speaking his mind. It is likely that Camilla and Princess Katherine will have very different styles when they become consort.

7. Long-Service Award. It’s easy to forget that most women of the Queen’s age have been retired for over a quarter of a century. Even on the day of her latest Jubilee she will still be ‘on duty’!